Avsula of Ritl
Avsula of Ritl, otherwise known as the Great Negotiator, is an intelligent, extremely perceptive Serphiad born on the planet Ritl during the Great Convergence period of the Serphiad Union. Using his charisma and impressive knowledge of politics, Avsula gained a significant amount of leverage in the Serphiad government, both directly, and indirectly through the Association of Good Friends. Background Avsula was born on the planet Ritl, a prosperous colony established by the Serphiad Union in the Triangulum Galaxy, on the outskirts of Jian'Tur Federation territory. Alongside many other newly-grown Serphiads, Avsula was looked after by Ritl's compassionate Serphiad population. During his period of immobility, Avsula occupied himself by studying the history of the Serphiad Union and learning about the nature of intergalactic politics. He soon gained an interest in political theory, and decided to commit himself to a career in politics, once he gained mobility. Avsula had already gained a significant reputation on Ritl during his juvenile phase for his natural skill in negotiation and persuasion, and his peers suggested he travel to the Serphiad core worlds in the Andromeda Galaxy to influence important political figures, possibly earning him a position in the White Triumvirate. Once he gained mobility, Avsula wasted no time in pursuing his goals of becoming a leader in the Serphiad Union. He migrated to Serph, the capital of the Union, and did everything he could to gain the attention of the White Triumvirates current members. His efforts were not in vain, as he was eventually selected to replace an aging member of the Triumvirate. Avsula was ecstatic about gaining one of the most prestigious roles in the Serphiad government, and fully immersed himself in the affairs of the Serphiad Union at the macroscopic scale once he became a member of the White Triumvirate. At first, Avsula's skills in politics and negotiation were appreciated by the other two members of the Triumvirate, but as time went on, they began to grow distrustful of Avsula. Having spent most of his early life on the edge of Jian'Tur territory, Avsula had been heavily influenced by the politics and philosophies of the Jian'Tur. He shared a common belief within the Jian'Tur Federation that a civilization must exercise its military might over other civilizations in order to establish dominance and preserve their own safety, a belief that was rather offensive to the existing social and political dogmas of the Serphiad Union. Although he did not establish himself as an overt militarist within the Triumvirate (mostly to protect his reputation and position within the government), the subtle push he made towards greater militarization of the Serphiad Union did not go unnoticed by the other Triumvirate members. They believed Avsula would threaten the intergalactic peace established by the Union across The Cluster, and with preexisting tensions between the Serphiad Union and Jian'Tur Federation, the last thing the Serphiad government wanted was the proliferation of war and militaristic policies. In a controversial and extremely unconventional movement, the other Triumvirate members motioned to remove Avsula from the White Triumvirate, replacing him with a more placid Serphiad. News of Avsula's deposition from the White Triumvirate spread across the entire Serphiad Union, as something like this had never happened before in the entire history of the Serphiad Union. Avsula himself had his reputation tarnished by this fall from grace, and he lost almost all of the political clout he had previously held. In a relatively short time span, Avsula had gone from being one of the most influential figures in the entire Serphiad Union to a disgraced pariah. Feeling betrayed by the Serphiad Union and its government, Avsula returned to the Triangulum Galaxy and sought refuge within the Jian'Tur Federation, a civilization that his opinions would hopefully be more welcome in. At first, the Jian'Tur were extremely unwelcoming towards Avsula. The Serphiads were not well-liked among the general Jian'Tur populace, and many suspected Avsula of being a spy for the Serphiad Union bent on undermining the sovereignty of their venerable civilization. Although it was rather difficult, Avsula gradually earned the trust of the Jian'Tur, who soon took a liking to his characteristically un-Serphiad take on politics. He became very close to several Jian'Tur representatives in the Settlement Hall, and even convened with the Federal Chancellor at the time, Vub-Vub Alcsimit, on numerous occasions. It was through her that Avsula learned of the invisible, yet fierce tensions between various Union tributary states and independent civilizations, tensions that the government of the Serphiad Union had neglected to address. It didn't take long for Avsula to realize that he could capitalize on these tensions to gain political influence of vastly greater magnitude than within the confines of the Serphiad government, something he could use to contort the Serphiad Union into a less passive, more aggressive civilization that he hoped would be better at retaining intergalactic order. Traveling all across The Cluster, Avsula formed connections with the leaders of many civilizations of varying size and strength, eventually forming a commune known as the Association of Good Friends. This strictly-informal group of leaders allowed Avsula to learn about the political and social environment of the Serphiad Union's tributary states, things that even the Serphiad government itself wouldn't know about. He used the Association to settle petty disputes between leaders and provide them with valuable insight into the machinations of Serphiad politics, which allowed these leaders to function better within the Council of Mutual Affairs. By giving alien leaders the information necessary to affect the Serphiad Union more directly, Avsula indirectly led to the creation of new legislation that bolstered the strength of the Union's tributary fleet and defense corps, as well as promoting the development of advanced cyborganic technology, which Avsula believed was vital in upholding the sovereignty of the Serphiad Union. As thankful as he was to finally be involved in Serphiad politics yet again, Avsula couldn't help but feel as though he could accomplish so much more. During his frequent trips to the Milky Way Galaxy, Avsula had encountered numerous missionaries and religious figures from the Infinity Guild that were traveling through colonized worlds in the Spur Trinity, spreading the word of the Only Hierophant. At first, Avsula had dismissed the underlings of the Infinity Guild as mindless drones, completely subservient to their faith. However, as he spent more time among them, he realized that there was far more to the religion of the Infinity Guild than was apparent on the surface. Taking a break from his duties in the Association of Good Friends, Avsula traveled to the Guild Expanse to convene with the savants and stygolytes of the Infinity Guild, hoping to learn more about their mysterious deity, Black Infinity. After being indoctrinated, he quickly rose through the ranks of the Infinity Guild, and soon attracted the attention of the Only Hierophant himself.